Future of CEU, the Budapest – based international university, is further uncertain: Letter of Rector Michael Ignatieff

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) and its President, Klaus F. Zimmermann, have supported the Central European University (CEU) in the struggle for scientific independence. See the GLO – CEU event recently in Budapest, among others. Now the Rector of CEU, Michael Ignatieff, has provided a further briefing:

Dear Friends:What a week this has been! On Tuesday the Hungarian Parliament voted a year’s extension of the deadline to comply with ‘lex CEU’. This means that CEU can admit a new class of master’s and doctoral students beginning in September 2018 and those who are admitted will be able to complete their studies here. This is good news!

What’s less encouraging is that the government appears to have stepped back, at least for the time being, from an agreement with New York State that would guarantee CEU’s existence in Hungary in return for us establishing educational activities with our long-time partner in New York State, Bard College. We’re still hopeful that this agreement will be signed eventually and bring the ‘CEU affair’ to a conclusion. We’ll be implementing the Bard agreement in full. The next steps are now up to the government.

In the meantime, CEU keeps forging ahead. Our classes are full. Our faculty are teaching, doing research, attending conferences, and building our reputation for academic excellence. Applications to admit our next class will open in the coming days. Our strategic plan for the next five years is being discussed right across the university. Next stop in the process: the Trustees’ meeting on October 28-29. The Trustees will suggest improvements and revisions, and then we will bring the plan back to the university for implementation.

We’ve been through quite an experience in the past year, and we haven’t reached safe harbor yet, but we’ve stood up for what we believe, we’ve done our jobs, and we’re planning for a bright future.

Thanks once again to all our supporters here in Hungary, and right around the world, for the marvelous support you’ve shown. We can’t do this without you!